Former Raiders Lineman Now with Bears

The Bears won the Alex Leatherwood lottery.

The failed Raiders first-round tackle/guard was one of six players claimed on waivers by Chicago and they'll take a look to see his skill level.

As a result of taking him on waivers, the Bears must pay the remaining three years and $5.9 million on his deal.

The other players they were awarded after putting in claims were former Colts defensive lineman Armon Watts, former Jets tight end Trevon Wesco, defensive end Kingsley Jordan, defensive back Josh Blackwell and linebacker Sterling Weatherford.

Leatherwood was the player the Raiders drafted in Round 1, 17th overall by the Jon Gruden regime when every draft analyst seemed convinced he was a third-rounder at best. The former Alabama player is 6-foot-5, 312 pounds and originally was a tackle.

However, Leatherwood struggled greatly at tackle, piling up low Pro Football Focus grades along with penalties and sacks allowed. Eventually the Raiders moved him to right guard and he seemed to find his footing there until Josh McDaniels took over as coach this year.

Basically, Leatherwood was much like Teven Jenkins without back surgery. Now it increases the possibility they could actually trade Jenkins, although it's unclear at this time where they intend to play him. Leatherwood could also be a roster challenger for Riley Reiff or for the starting spots of Larry Borom at right tackle or Braxton Jones at left tackle.

The signing of Wesco makes sense because the Bears essentially left space for him on their roster by carrying only two tight ends when they made cuts. He'll join his former teammate with the Jets, Ryan Griffin, and Cole Kmet. He was a reserve who played special teams with the Jets and made 12 starts while playing in 44 games after being drafted in Round 4 of 2019. He had six catches for 87 yards, five special teams tackles, but was mainly used as a blocking tight end.

Watts is a former Vikings defensive tackle who had 10 starts in three years. The Sun-Times' Pat Finley reported second-year defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga will be the Bears player cut because of Watts' acquisition.

The other players are undrafted and were roster cuts.

Weatherford is a defensive back who was a former teammate of Bears rookie defensive end Dominique Robinson at Miami (Ohio). He had four interceptions and 19 pass deflections at Miami.

Jonathan was cut by the Bills and is 6-4, 260. He had 100 tackles, 21 1/2 for loss with 15 sacks and four pass deflections in college.

Blackwell is a former Duke cornerback who is 6-foot, 180 and had no college interceptions but did break up 20 passes and force a fumble.

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